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LONG BLOG

The Final Fantasy franchise is a well-oiled money-making machine. A main series guaranteed to keep going until the world ends, still selling millions as we're consumed by the fiery blaze; an iconic set of IPs that can support endless facile spin-offs, and at least two rereleases per game per console generation that sell well enough to compel Square Enix to keepbloodydoingit.

Not to mention, of course, a still-loyal-but-beleaguered fanbase who fund all these shenanigans, of which I find myself front and centre.

So why should we even begin to humour the idea of yet another rerelease on a different platform such as FFVIII on the PSP? I'll admit there's something a bit off about again buying a game that I can see the game case for sitting on my shelf. And there's definitely something off about supporting a company like Square Enix that takes such gleeful relish in monetising our nostalgia.

The answer is simple: JRPGs as a concept are made for on-the-go play. Anything that demands a player repeat the same basic action over and over again [grinding] demands to be released on a system that you can play while on the crapper. Or sit in bed waiting to drift off. Or shamefully under a table on a lengthy train journey.

Further more, JRPGs take fecking ages to complete. The reason Persona 3 PSP is such an exciting proposition is because I can imagine myself clocking up 80 hours on a PSP game that I can fit in/around my life, whereas imagining myself sitting stationary in front of a television for that amount of time is pretty horrifying (though it didn't stop me for the PS2 version /hauntedeyes).

It's these simple rationalisations that justify spending money on a game I already own (he genre compels me to be a tool, is basically what I'm saying). Final Fantasy VIII particularly stands out as one of my favourite main-series games because I actually finished it without any resentful self-discipline -- the opportunity to experience it again while taking a dump is just too much to resist.